A few weeks after it was unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show, the Audi e-Tron Concept has finally received the ‘go’ signal for production.
The announcement was made by Johan de Nysschen in an interview done with Autonews. Among other things, the Audi of America president said that the overwhelmingly positive response to the concept car at the IAA has resulted in the brand to release an electric version of the car, which is expected to make roll out in the US sometime in 2011 or 2012.
Powered by four electric motors on each axle, the e-Tron Concept can travel a distance of 154 miles by only using the packed lithium-ion battery inside the car. As far as performance goes, the car is capable of producing 313 horsepower and around 4,500 Nm of torque.
This one caught us by surprise, not because the car was given the green light, but because it happened sooner than we expected. Nevertheless, you can’t keep a good idea down, and judging from the response the e-Tron Concept received in Frankfurt a few weeks ago, we can safely say that Audi may have hit a goldmine with this one.
Taking a page out of a design that was made over four decades ago, Honda has released the first look at the retro-looking EV-N Concept. If you think you’ve seen that front design before, you probably have; it looks like the N360 micro car.
A small four-seat, electric car, Honda created the EV-N with an attempt to bridge old-school flavour with new-school technology. The car, which is set o be unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show in a few weeks, comes with a solar panel roof, door-mounted U3-X personal mobility devices, and the all-new car-communication technology, the Honda Electric Mobility Loop (HELLO) -
it’s a technology that allows Honda’s outfitted with it the chance to ‘communicate’ with each other, hence the name HELLO.
That’s as much as we know about the EV-N for now. We’ll keep you posted on anything new that comes up leading up to Tokyo where the car will be introduced along with the CR-Z concept and the Skydeck concept.
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Setting land speed records for an alternatively powered vehicle, the Venturi Buckeye Bullet, the world’s first hydrogen fuel cell powered high speed streamliner to break the 300 MPH mark. Nicknamed "La Jamais Contente", 750 HP was developed in partnership with the students at Ohio State University and pays tribute to the original record setting electric racer of the same name from back in 1899 when the antique automobile become the first vehicle to achieve 60 MPH. The project is part of a 3 year program with the University during which time the Streamliner will attempt to break a few other records for electrically propelled race cars as well as with the further development of innovations in driver safety, driveline, electronics and packaging for the high speed application.
After the team’s success back on September 25 with back to back 300 MPH passes down the mile long stretch of salt, the team’s efforts will continue on into the 2010 and 2011 land speed record seasons. To be exact, the Buckeye Bullet 2 currently holds both national and international land speed records of 315 MPH and 272 MPH as well as the honor of being the first zero emissions electric vehicle to run at over 300 MPH.
Just like the original "Jamais Contente," the Buckeye Bullet 2 shows that electricity is a very powerful fuel and with the right configuration shows that anything is possible. This is also a powerful push for future EVs like the upcoming Chevrolet Volt, demonstrating that electricity can be a functional fuel. The Team made up of Ohio State students and staff isn’t done yet, their next goal is to reach 350 MPH in the battery powered streamliner.
Full specifications after the jump.
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These days, the push towards electric car production has not been limited to just big time auto manufacturers; even the small-scale brands have taken their turns in creating their own electric vehicles, proving that the electric car could very well be the future of the industry.
Take Tesla, for instance. While it doesn’t have the same resources as other car brands out there, the California-based electric carmaker has nevertheless made quite an impression in the industry as a foremost proponent of the electric car revolution. Though a relative newbie in the industry with a still questionable financial structure, Tesla has been able to produce some of the more popular electric cars out in the market today; so much so that it even secure a loan from the Department of Energy to help finance the building of a new plant to develop the Model S.
At least, that’s what the original plan was. As it turns out, the company is also using the funding it secured under the Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing program to develop a whole new fleet of electric cars, including a minivan, a CUV, and a utility van.
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While most environmentalists are focusing on cleaning up the atmosphere by slowing down cars, other green engineers are working on harnessing as much potential energy as possible in order to create true zero emission super cars. This past Frankfurt Motor Show saw the Germans unveiling both the all new Audi e-Tron concept as well as an electric SLS AMG factory built 21st century super cars. Following up on their open wheeled E-1 electric sports car, the battery powered car builder e-Wolf has come up with a very aerodynamic body for the new E-2 that is light years ahead of the previous generation vehicle.
The e-Wolf E-2 electric super car has a nose inspired by a Ferrari Enzo, the tight tapered rear end of a Lexus L-FL and the stance of a Lamborghini Murcielago made up of sharp creases and bulging air scoops. Underneath carbon fiber composite two seater body are four electric motors that combine to produce a maximum output of 536 HP and 738 lb-ft of torque. The benefit of an electric drive train is that all 1000 Nm of thrust are available right off the line. Even though it will only weigh around 900 kg anyone who has ever owned an electrically powered remote control car can tell you that driving at high speeds drains the batteries. That is most likely one of the reasons why the E-2’s top speed has been limited to 155 MPH and the range is a rather conservative 185 miles.
In order to aid with the lengthy refueling process, the e-Wolf E-2 will feature a rapid recharging mode that will power up 80% of the batteries in about 30 minutes, considerably shorter than what it would take to power up a traditional plug in electric vehicle. It is nice to know that despite the rising price of gas and depletion of fossil fuels that there are still people in the world working on going fast in a green way. The prototype will debut sometime in 2011 and production will commence shortly thereafter. Tesla owners be warned!
Fresh of their ground-breaking and revolutionary BMW Vision EfficientDynamics, another attention-seeking BMW-badged concept car is making some headlines these days.
We actually don’t know if it’s a porcupine, a car, or a combination of both. Either way, the car you’re seeing is the new BMW Lovos concept and was created by a 24-year old designer Anne Forschner from the Pforzheim University in Germany.
We don’t know what Ms. Anne was thinking designing this car, but he probably sees something we don’t with this car. For starters, its body of work suggests that it was inspired from a porcupine or fish scales. And if that can’t catch your attention, you might want to check out those matching Swarovski-decked lights for good measure.
We know car designers have a penchant for going a tad too overboard with their designs but this one seems to definitely fly over the cuckoo scale. Forschner’s design, which if you pay enough attention, comes with exterior pieces that’s coated with solar photovoltaic cells, which we assume, will have something to do with the car possibly running on solar or electric power.
Either way, we don’t think it’s a car we’d like to see out on the road anytime soon. Maybe ever.
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After the luxury car builders from Germany Audi and Mercedes Benz unveiled their electric super car concepts at the Frankfurt Motor show, it looks like the luxury super car builder Rolls Royce is planning a shocking ride of their own. Apparently back at the Goodwood revival a spokesman for the classic English brand turned German owned coachbuilder has been toying around with the idea of a battery powered Rolls Royce Phantom. The Phantom is one of the unique cars that could actually see some weight savings by replacing the rather large gas burning V12 power plant with a lithium ion battery pack, not that the bulky electric motors would make much of a difference to the current luxury sedan’s nearly three ton curb weight.
The obvious benefits of an electric car that would fit in perfectly with Rolls Royce’s perfect passenger experience like an almost silent ride, zero emission operation and loads of torque that will be instantaneously available starting at 0 RPM, perfectly suiting the luxury brand’s wafting acceleration. The only problem that we foresee with an all electric Phantom, and is the same for any battery powered vehicle, is how will the German engineers be able to give the large luxury sedan a suitable range due to the weight of the components that are driven by the flow of electrons.
Perhaps Rolls Royce’s parent company, BMW can figure out how to fit the working parts of the new Vision EfficientDynamics Concept underneath the coach built bodywork of a next generation Phantom. Perhaps the answer to an all electric super car is a small displacement diesel engine with its incredible range and efficiency is the ideal solution to keeping the ultra low emissions hybrid luxury vehicle running long after any lithium ion battery would run out.
Let’s just put it out there: the Myers Motors NMG2 has taken the words ‘quirky’ and ’efficient’ to all-time levels.
We do have to give brownie points to Myers for their creativity and ingenuity. The two-seat, three-wheel model NMG2 integrates elements from cars and motorcycles thanks to those headlights, which, if you noticed, comes in threes: Two on either side and one on the center. Yes, the center.
Not only that, the car’s dimensions are such that the front resembles – apart from the center-mounted headlights, of course – a standard car while the back looks more like a performance bike.
In any case, Myers seems to have tremendous faith in their product, especially as far as eco-friendly efficiency is concerned; something all of us can agree with.
The vehicle runs on lithium-ion batteries and has a top speed of 75 mph with a 60-mile range. Myers has also hinted that a 100-mile model will eventually be offered for customers down the road. For now, the NMG2 is slated to hit production by the tail-end of 2010 and customers who are interested in buying one of these cars can do so for a little under $30,000.
We’ve been talking about Gran Turismo 5, Forza 3 and Need for Speed SHIFT so much we kind of feel bad that we’ve left other racing games out to dry.
In the midst of the hoopla surrounding the three aforementioned games, one game we haven’t gone on record as worth playing is Vertical Run, a racing game you can find in Sony’s Playstation Home community. The game is the first to be developed by ‘Audi Space’, which, if you don’t know, is Audi’s new virtual community inside the Playstation Home.
While it’s not in the class of GT5 or Forza 3, Vertical Run is a pretty fun game to play, especially if you’re the type who considers yourself a card-carrying member of the Wipeout franchise. The objective is pretty simple enough: all you need to do is win a race while zooming past a vertical course – hence, the name Vertical Run – while gathering the most electrical energy in the process. Simple enough, right?
The game becomes all the more exciting because of the presence of one car, the Audi E-Tron concept, which we first saw at the recently-concluded Frankfurt Motor Show. We don’t know whether or not the actual Audi e-tron concept actually makes it to production, so this may be the only chance we’ll ever get to see the car in a racing situation.
The German tuning firm Brabus recently got together with the electric car builders at Tesla to produce a very special zero emissions Smart Fortwo. The Brabus Ultimate High Voltage is a high performance electric vehicle based on the popular city car from Mercedes Benz. The tuning house Brabus has a long history taking high end luxury cars to new heights with bold exterior treatments as well as extremely plush interiors, that is why Tesla Motors was included in order to give the all electric Smart Fortwo an extra jolt of adrenaline.
The Ultimate High Voltage is powered by a very special electric motor that was developed with the help of the American electric sports car maker that produces a maximum output of 82 HP and a peak of 207 lb-ft of torque which helps the 1,600 pound Smart sprint from 0 to 38.5 MPH in just 3.7 seconds and hit 60 MPH from a standstill in under 9.8 seconds.
The exterior of the Brabus Ultimate High Voltage is painted in a very unique shade of cream called matte Tridionzelle and features a few distinct touches like LED driving lights integrated into the front bumper as well as meaty Widestar fender flares and side skirts and a set of 18 inch split five spoke rims wearing transparent Plexiglas covers to get as much milage as possible from the electric Smart car.
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